Leggy GTB as a family car, am I nuts?
Discussion
Need a decent sized estate for a family car- realistically only a large estate will do (volvo V70/850 / subaru legacy type size) - max £4k budget
I'm not too keen on anything to slow, and have worked out that a BH5 legacy GTB would tick all the boxes in terms of loadlugging ability, speed, 4wd, driving 'engagement' etc.
However, this would be a daily driver for me (with a Chim as a weekend car) - am I nuts? - will I just get hacked off with being bent over backwards for fuel, 6K services, on insurance etc etc..
Can get insured for c£500, however the 'caveats' that come on the insurance due to its import status are an eyeopener- makes me question whether there's any point in fully comp..
Budgets up to £4K for the car(cannot go over!)
Anyone else done this or got any sensible suggestions?
Have tried looking at volvo T5s but they all seem mega-mileage compared to import Legacy's. Likewise big engined BMW 4 series/merc e-classes are also instellar mileage and much much older...
[edited for typo's]
I'm not too keen on anything to slow, and have worked out that a BH5 legacy GTB would tick all the boxes in terms of loadlugging ability, speed, 4wd, driving 'engagement' etc.
However, this would be a daily driver for me (with a Chim as a weekend car) - am I nuts? - will I just get hacked off with being bent over backwards for fuel, 6K services, on insurance etc etc..
Can get insured for c£500, however the 'caveats' that come on the insurance due to its import status are an eyeopener- makes me question whether there's any point in fully comp..
Budgets up to £4K for the car(cannot go over!)
Anyone else done this or got any sensible suggestions?
Have tried looking at volvo T5s but they all seem mega-mileage compared to import Legacy's. Likewise big engined BMW 4 series/merc e-classes are also instellar mileage and much much older...
[edited for typo's]
Edited by HiAsAKite on Wednesday 16th June 22:21
No reason not to, its what they're made for!
They're generally very reliable, the only problem with mine in 1.5 years and 16k miles has been a faulty map sensor which caused a lack of boost until the sensor was replaced.
I average around 26mpg in mixed use, 30-32mpg is easy enough to achieve on a run while making reasonable progress (
) which I think is pretty decent for a 280bhp AWD wagon. Be aware they like good fuel though, mine is around 10% thirstier on 95 than 98 as well as producing less power.
If you can stretch to a post-2001 facelift the updates are worthwhile - newage ECU, higher compression, different turbos etc make for a better power delivery. Peak torque is at 5000rpm but over 80% of that is available from 2000-6500 so its a very wide, smooth powerband to work with.
They're generally very reliable, the only problem with mine in 1.5 years and 16k miles has been a faulty map sensor which caused a lack of boost until the sensor was replaced.
I average around 26mpg in mixed use, 30-32mpg is easy enough to achieve on a run while making reasonable progress (
) which I think is pretty decent for a 280bhp AWD wagon. Be aware they like good fuel though, mine is around 10% thirstier on 95 than 98 as well as producing less power.If you can stretch to a post-2001 facelift the updates are worthwhile - newage ECU, higher compression, different turbos etc make for a better power delivery. Peak torque is at 5000rpm but over 80% of that is available from 2000-6500 so its a very wide, smooth powerband to work with.
Edited by GravelBen on Wednesday 16th June 23:51
4k will buy you a very nice BH5 that should require little extra investment to give good, reliable service.
The fuel economy is shocking if you exploit all of the performance, but if you do lots of cruising and stay off boost it's basically a plain 2.0 four and high-20s mpg is within reach.
A very very versatile car - very comfortable inside, capacious as the largest estates, superb in slippery conditions, an excellent m-way muncher yet holds in own in the twisties.
A good DIY proposition as well (despite the twin-turbo not all that complex) and the UKLegacy forum is a very rich and supportive community.
This really is an under-appreciated car - there's nothing for the money that will get you a comparable package. A Volvo 850 R or T-R has an iconic style and is very powerful with a remap, but won't handle anywhere near as nicely and doesn't have the all-weather capability. Other possibilities include an S2 Avant although it's smaller, and for a more leftfield Japanese choice, a Legnum or Nissan Stagea. 4k is getting close to the bottom end of the S4/A6 market although I wouldn't want the bills when one of those goes wrong.
The fuel economy is shocking if you exploit all of the performance, but if you do lots of cruising and stay off boost it's basically a plain 2.0 four and high-20s mpg is within reach.
A very very versatile car - very comfortable inside, capacious as the largest estates, superb in slippery conditions, an excellent m-way muncher yet holds in own in the twisties.
A good DIY proposition as well (despite the twin-turbo not all that complex) and the UKLegacy forum is a very rich and supportive community.
This really is an under-appreciated car - there's nothing for the money that will get you a comparable package. A Volvo 850 R or T-R has an iconic style and is very powerful with a remap, but won't handle anywhere near as nicely and doesn't have the all-weather capability. Other possibilities include an S2 Avant although it's smaller, and for a more leftfield Japanese choice, a Legnum or Nissan Stagea. 4k is getting close to the bottom end of the S4/A6 market although I wouldn't want the bills when one of those goes wrong.
A pre-facelift in midnight blue please! As soon as I can afford the insurance, one of these (or a Legnum) will be on the drive for sure 
All of these mad jap estates are very understated and underated, plus make excellent sleepers 
Do it! They are fairly robust and reliable plus as long as you look after them they will look after you.
I've had a full and i mean full bathroom in the back of mine (plenty of space) plus its easy to drive them long distances (comfortable) AND everything you need electric is electric.
I've had a full and i mean full bathroom in the back of mine (plenty of space) plus its easy to drive them long distances (comfortable) AND everything you need electric is electric.
RobM77 said:
I simply had to click on this thread to find out how on earth a high mileage (i.e. leggy) one of these was a family car 
[img] http://www.museodelcoche.com/Galerias/wp-content/g...
[img] http://www.museodelcoche.com/Galerias/wp-content/g...
The funny thing is the real subject of the thread is probably faster!
Go for it! I love mine, does everything I need. Great family car for lugging babies and dogs around, but when you need to is plenty quick enough to enjoy. Mines a pretty high mileage one at 126k, but still feels very tight. It did have a rebuild though at 70k.
The only modification on mine is a hayward and scott centre pipe and backbox - sounds great when booting it, almost v8 like. The only thing I'm not keen on are the brakes, the two pots callipers on the front are a bit weedy for the size of car. I'm looking to upgrade them to 4 pots from an Imprezza at somepoint though, as they just bolt straight on.
I've had mine since January, averaging about 25-26mpg but this can go up to about 30mpg on a steady motorway run, or drop to not very much at all when booting it...
The only modification on mine is a hayward and scott centre pipe and backbox - sounds great when booting it, almost v8 like. The only thing I'm not keen on are the brakes, the two pots callipers on the front are a bit weedy for the size of car. I'm looking to upgrade them to 4 pots from an Imprezza at somepoint though, as they just bolt straight on.
I've had mine since January, averaging about 25-26mpg but this can go up to about 30mpg on a steady motorway run, or drop to not very much at all when booting it...
silent k said:
The only thing I'm not keen on are the brakes, the two pots callipers on the front are a bit weedy for the size of car. I'm looking to upgrade them to 4 pots from an Imprezza at somepoint though, as they just bolt straight on.
I upgraded the standard brakes for 4 pots off an Imp then i upgraded again to 6 pots... love it now.
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